Vocational and academic drift at higher levels

The analytical framework was also adapted and applied to scrutinise vocationally oriented education and training at higher levels (EQF levels 5 to 8). One of our interests was the question of the extent to which (academic and professional) higher education (HE), as defined within the qualifications framework in the European higher education area (QF-EHEA), is subject to vocational and/or academic drift. The study also explored to what extent higher-level vocationally oriented education and training is delivered outside higher education (higher VET).

As a first step, a literature analysis was carried out to explore the main concepts used to describe vocational and academic drift and their underlying theories. The three perspectives and the initial framework were used to organise these concepts and further developed to fit the research questions. As a second step, nine case studies were carried out based on desk research and interviews with relevant national stakeholders for an in-depth review of the developments in selected countries (²⁵).

In order not to exceed the scope of the examples presented here, we cannot reproduce the entire framework, but content ourselves with some excerpts (Table 7). Below we summarise some results of this study (²⁶).

(²⁵) Austria, Estonia, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and UK-England. For more details see Cedefop, 2019b.

(²⁶) The full list of indicators and more results can be found in Cedefop, 2019b.

Table 7. Selected characteristics and indicators of academic drift, vocational drift and expansion of higher VET

Dimensions Academic drift Vocational drift (HE) / expansion of higher VET

Education system Perspective Segment and level of the education System

Vertical or upward extension of VET into HE as well as within HE (by adding higher- level degree programmes to offers)

mixed HE systems.

Increased provision of vocationally oriented

programmes /qualifications at higher levels;

stronger emphasis on VET elements in programmes/

qualifications offered at higher levels (including traditional academic HE programmes) Other dimensions of this perspective include: Number/background of students; Outcomes/

destination; Institutional landscape; Parity of esteem

-Socioeconomic/ labour market perspective

Governance

Reduced labour market engagement in development and delivery of qualifications/

programmes at higher levels

Increased labour market engagement

in development and delivery of qualifications/programmes at higher levels

Other dimensions of this perspective include: Source of funding; Student identity/ legal status; Occupational hierarchy; Focus/purpose

Epistemological or pedagogical perspective

Pedagogical/

didactical approach

Strengthening of theory-based reflection on practice and scientific research

Increased practice orientation of traditional higher education programmes, including applied research; strengthening work-related learning within institutions (on-site labs, workshops, etc.) and work-based learning in companies (e.g. industry projects, on-the-job training periods, apprenticeship-type schemes at higher levels) Other dimensions of this perspective include: Knowledge approach; Teacher-student relationship and background of teachers; Learning sites; Specificity of learning outcomes Source: Cedefop.

The study found that there has been expansion and diversification of vocationally oriented education and training offered at higher levels in European countries over the last two decades. Participation has increased and various forms of programmes and qualifications have been introduced. This has been particularly the case for professional higher education and is less evident for higher VET. By higher VET we refer here to vocationally oriented programme and qualification types that are fully outside the QF-EHEA and are linked to EQF levels 5 to 8 via their inclusion in a national qualifications framework (NQF), by professional higher education to vocationally oriented higher education that is part of the QF-EHEA (e.g. polytechnics, university of applied sciences, etc.).

From an education system perspective, we found that many European countries have introduced a separate strand of higher education during the past 20 years (or even earlier) or have established new vocationally or professionally

oriented higher-level degrees, leading to different models of higher education system in Europe. In most cases, a binary system has been adopted: universities and professionally oriented higher education institutions are regarded as separate, with different forms of governance. Countries have also opened up higher education to people with vocational qualifications or/and with work experience, but actual use of this non-traditional access route is still relatively low. Higher VET qualifications are generally based on initial VET qualifications and work experience, and there is no evidence that this has changed significantly over time.

The upgrading of former VET programmes to higher education has strengthened the professional status of graduates. Depending on the type of qualification and programme, higher VET primarily prepares for access to the labour market or provides access to further learning and the labour market.

From a socioeconomic or labour market perspective, it is mainly vocational drift that has been observed and this has occurred in many ways. For instance, in many cases, vocational principles in the governance of professional higher education have been strengthened. At the same time, links with the labour market and employer involvement have been strengthened in governance but less so in financing. However, this trend is less visible in higher VET which has traditionally had a strong vocational orientation, with good links to the labour market and employer involvement.

From an epistemological or pedagogical perspective both academic and vocational drift processes have been identified. There is some convergence between different types of higher education programme, while higher VET programmes and qualifications mostly maintain their traditional focus on applied knowledge. Transversal learning outcomes are becoming increasingly important, indicating a shift towards broader profiles. The most visible vocational drift concerns the use of companies as learning sites. In the last two decades, on-the-job learning has increasingly been integrated into vocationally oriented education and training at higher levels, either in the form of internships as part of the programmes or as new formats of dual or apprenticeship training. This development can be observed both in traditional academic HE programmes and in professional HE; it is and less so for higher VET where learning in the workplace has traditionally been of great importance. However, there are also indications that academic principles or research competences have been more strongly emphasised in professional HE in some countries and increasing academic requirements for teachers have occasionally been emphasised.

Applying the analytical framework to a specific area of the education system has made it possible to look more closely at this area, which stretches across different education segments, and to identify similarities and differences in

developments. The example also shows that it is possible for the categories used for the analysis and comparison of VET systems (see Section 4.1) to be adapted to this specific area without losing the reference to the original framework.

However, while in the former case it has been possible to identify four patterns of how VET is understood and to classify countries' VET systems (or sub-systems) accordingly, this was not possible in relation to vocationally oriented education and training at higher levels due to the lack of Europe-wide data and information in this area. Comparing the example of assessment with the example of VET at higher levels shows that the framework allows for analysing VET subsystems (e.g. higher VET) as well as specific aspects of VET (e.g. assessment).